The Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) is asking for feedback on possible new rules about biometric information. They want to hear what people think by Sunday 27 August 2023.

The OPC is thinking about whether there should be a set of rules called a code of practice. A code could change how the privacy principles in the Privacy Act apply when organisations use technology to analyse biometric information.

Biometric information relates to people’s physical or behavioural features – for example, a person’s face, fingerprints, voice, or how they walk. Biometric technologies (such as facial recognition or voice analysis) analyse biometric information to recognise who someone is, or to work out other things about them (such as their gender or mood).

The OPC wants to protect people against misuse of their biometric information. They also want to let government and business use biometric information safely, if they have good reasons to do so.